Trapped
by XxFlowerAngelxX
Summary: Sometimes, I felt as though I was trapped...But you, Uchiha Sasuke, were able to free me from my chains.
1. Chapter 1

**Trapped**

Sometimes, I felt as though I was trapped. Trapped in this world of being a ninja. Trapped in my parents' high expectations. And finally, trapped in the teasing of others. But you, Uchiha Sasuke, were able to free me from my chains.

It started when we had just begun the academy. After a few weeks of getting started, I was already breezing through my classes. There was nothing that I couldn't handle, well, all except constantly being made fun of for my forehead.

I figured if I just ignored them, they would go away. Well, most of them did, especially since I had gained a great amount of respect from being so smart. But one group of girls never stopped, and it had begun to affect me in a negative way.

They were your fan girls.

Not one ever stood up for me. I didn't know why. I mean I tried to be nice to everyone else, but never got anything in return.

Everyone, except you.

After awhile, you would stand up for me. And the fan girls would back away. And each time, you would apologize to me, saying that it was your fault, since they were your fan girls. You were probably right, but I always denied it. You were too nice, and too cute too.

Of course this was before the Uchiha Massacre, when you were kind, and smiled quite often. When you still looked up to your brother, as some sort of hero. When you didn't think of revenge 24/7.

The two of us became friends. Maybe even best friends. We talked in school and even went to eachother's houses to train or do homework.

I still remember your family very carefully. Your father was a strict man who rarely smiled. He had that aura around him that told me he was very respected. Your mother was very kind, and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my entire life. I looked up to her. I saw her as a much better mother than my own. And finally, Itachi-kun. He was…well…I guess the word would be perfect. He was handsome, smart, strong, and very popular. He was also very kind as well. I remember that whenever we met, he would smile and call me _'Saku-chan.'_

I was as surprised as you were when he murdered your clan and became an S-class criminal. After that, you changed dramatically.

You never smiled after that. That adorable smile. When I tried to talk to you, you would either give me short answers or ignore me all together. You became cold and emotionless. You became an avenger.

I was heart broken by the way you acted. It was as if our friendship for two years had been erased. And to this day, I still long for you, Sasuke-kun. My Sasuke-kun, the boy from my childhood that was kind, smiled, and innocent. The Sasuke-kun that will most likely never appear before me again. No matter how much I wanted him to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Trapped**

Over time, I became quite popular at the academy. People called me a priestess because I was very talented in chakra control and very smart. I aced every exam, every jutsu, and every technique the senseis taught us, therefore, graduating only five points behind you, Sasuke-kun. I was the strongest kunoichi of my age.

Puberty had hit me when I was eleven and a half. When I turned twelve, I noticed the different looks some boys gave me. I got asked out by about ten different boys that year, which I all kindly turned down. I was still waiting for you.

When Iruka-sensei announced that I would be on the same team as you, I felt my heart skip a beat. I was ecstatic.

Slowly, the three of us (you me and Naruto) became a true team. We were the first ever to pass Kakashi-sensei's bell test. We defeated an S-class criminal one of our first missions. We were there for eachother. We understood eachother.

Instead of badgering you non-stop for dates like your fan girls did, I took a different approach to try to get close to you. I tried to be your friend. Although we were teammates, we weren't exactly friends like we were a long time ago. I didn't want you to be my boyfriend. Being plain old friends would have been more than I could ever wish for.

It wasn't as if I didn't have feelings for you. Oh no, I had _very_ strong feelings for you. In fact, I've been absolutely in love with you ever since our academy days. However, I was also a rational person. I knew that someone as ordinary as me would never have a chance as someone so…so different, so incredible, and special as you. You were one of a kind Sasuke-kun. You were the prince in Cinderella. But this isn't a fairy tale, and therefore, I could never be your Cinderella.

I knew that to at least become friends with you, I'd have to get you to notice me. Therefore, I trained hard, very hard. I woke up every morning at six o'clock and jogged for an hour. I was a frequent visitor at the library to attempt to learn new jutsus. I trained in taijutsu, genjutsu, and even a little bit of ninjutsu.

Every time Kakashi-sensei taught us a new technique, I would try my hardest to out do you. Sometimes I succeeded, (like the tree climbing exercise) but most of the time, I failed. You were just too strong, but that only motivated me more.

Not only did I train myself to impress you, but my parents as well. For some reason, ever since I was born, they had had high expectations of me as a shinobi. They never settled for anything less than perfection. I had to be stronger, prettier, and more charming than other girls.

Maybe it was because Kaa-san had asthma ever since she was little and could not enroll into the academy, and Tou-san broke his back when he first took the chunnin exams and was forced to end his career as a ninja. They wanted me to reach for the top, to be well known by every shinobi in the world…to make their dreams come true for them.

I never cared much about how I looked as long as I was clean and presentable. But Kaa-san insisted that I grew my hair long and wore girly dresses whenever I wasn't doing anything shinobi related. Half of my wardrobe consisted of casual clothing that I try to stay away from as much as possible. Even my training clothes (which although allowed me to move freely) were too girly for me. She bought me lot's of moisturizes and facial products to make sure I had the perfect complexion, along with many different scents of perfume, over 50 tubes of lip gloss, 20 different shades of eye-shadow, and eyeliner, mascara, blush, and sparkles that I never used. To say that Kaa-san was fashion crazy would be an understatement.

I knew that my parents wanted the best for me, but sometimes, I get sick of it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Trapped**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

I knew the chunnin exams meant trouble as soon as Kakashi-sensei announced that he signed us up for it. And now, as I watch you in such a helpless state, clutching your neck, it only proves my fears true.

I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. I merely held you in my arms tightly until you fell unconscious.

I was in utter hell as I tried to take care of you and Naruto. The actions I took were almost useless. I carried you both under a tree to provide some sort of shelter. I tried to break your fever without any luck. In the end, all I did was sit there and watch your unmoving body.

When those three sound ninjas showed up, I felt as if the world was against me. I attacked them with the traps I had set up, and the few jutsus I knew, but all they did was stall for time. The genjutsus I released were quickly dispelled, and the weapons I launched (even with my nearly perfect aim) were deflected.

In the end, all I could do was watch as I got saved: first by Rock Lee, then by Ino's team, and finally, by you.

But being saved was the least thought on my mind when I saw you: black markings surrounding half of your body, dark purple chakra swirling around, and your eyes, your eyes were terrifying, filled with bloodlust and hatred.

For once in my entire life, I was afraid of you. I could barely respond when you asked who was it that hurt me (my body was covered in bruises and cuts, and my long, pink hair was a tangled mess.) Everything was unbelievable: your speed, your strength, your thirst for death. I knew that you were not yourself, especially when you broke that Zaku guy's arms. It was not something that Sasuke-kun, my Sasuke-kun, would do.

I knew that running up to you to embrace you were foolish. You could have turned against me, and I could have gotten hurt. But I didn't care. All that was on my mind was that I had to stop you, I had to stop you from inflicting more pain upon others, even if they were our enemy. Surprisingly, my actions were effective. You turned back to normal.

I was happy, very happy. But the memory of how you were like was unforgettable.


	4. Chapter 4

**Trapped**

Hey everyone, I just wanted to point out that some changes are made in this story that didn't happen in the anime. For example, in the last chapter, I mentioned that Sakura still had long hair, even though her hair was cut. I assure you that this is not a mistake, and there will be many more changes such as this one in the future. Sorry for any misunderstandings.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Sasuke-kun, you're not supposed to be here, Sasuke-kun. Here, battling in the preliminaries, against experienced ninja. You should be in the hospital, having that mark on your neck checked.

Don't you see that you have a severe disadvantage? Every time you try to draw out your chakra, you're met by unbearable pain. That would mean that you are forced to battle without any chakra, which is a shinobi's greatest weakness.

Is it worth it, Sasuke-kun, putting your life in such danger just so that you can "get stronger?" You mentioned on that first day we became a team that you wanted to kill someone. Is all this effort because of him?

My gut is telling me to act calm and natural, for I am a shinobi. I must not allow my emotions to get in the way of my mission, which in this case is passing the chunnin exams. But my heart is telling me to do something else. To tell Kakashi-sensei about the mark so that he'll stop the match. So that you'll be safe. But then you'd hate me. And that would break my heart.

So here I stand, watching you, praying that you'll be all right. I try my best to put on an emotionless mask, just like the one I've seen you wear all the time, only I'm pretty sure that mine isn't as convincing.

I let out a long, held breath when you were able to end the match with your Lion's Barrage (a move that I have never seen before). But I couldn't help to worry yet again about your mark. For a second there, when you were in the air, I was sure that I had spotted your mark spreading. However, It disappeared in the blink of an eye.

--

I continued to watch the matches without paying much attention (although I should since knowing their abilities may come in handy if I pass the preliminaries). However, after what seemed like an eternity, my match had been announced.

I wasn't even paying attention, until Kakashi-sensei pointed it out for me.

I would be fighting Ino.

Now this was both good and bad. It was good because compared to many of the other ninjas here, Ino wasn't that strong. The only jutsu she knew was the mind transfer jutsu (which travels slow and would render her useless if she missed). But it was bad because I was certain, that this battle would bring back unwanted memories.

Naruto was immediately cheering me on. He, and probably any other rookie in the room, was confident that I would win. After all, I did graduate as the top kunoichi. But would I really be able to concentrate entirely on the match? Kakashi-sensei seemed to realize my worries and bent down to whisper in my ear.

"I know you're worried about Sasuke. Don't. He's fine. Now just concentrate on your match. You're stronger than her, and you know it."

He winked at me.

"Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

"……"

I took a deep breath and walked down the stairs. Sensei had a point: I am stronger than Ino. While she's been combing her hair and doing her make-up, I've been doing some serious training. My only concern is that my past will get in the way.

Ino and I had once been good friends, but she broke off the frendship with me when she thought that Sasuke and I were getting too close.

She glared and me, and attempted to intimidate me. "Well if it isn't Forehead. I hope you don't expect to win this match, cause I will defiantly defeat you. I don't care if you graduated as the top kunoichi, but you're still going down."

I let out a small smile. "Prove it."

I saw her glare at me. Suddenly, she charged at me with a kunai. I saw her throw the weapon; I merely stepped to the side to avoid it. Then, she threw a punch at me, which I dodged. I did a black flip and landed gracefully on my feet.

I knew I was pushing Ino's buttons by making my moves look so easy. But I had to make her realize that being a ninja takes more than just her daily one to two hour training sessions with her team. It takes extra training, and will power.

I continued to dodge all of her attacks with ease, making sure to never stop my movements completely so that she would not have a chance to use her Mind transfer jutsu. I could have ended the match any time, but something inside me prevented me from doing it. Perhaps I felt as though Ino and I were still attached somehow. Like our friendship never officially ended. after a while, I could tell that everyone was getting bored. I sighed and readied myself to perform the genjutsu I had in mind. I saw Kakashi-sensei smile underneath his mask. He knew exactly which jutsu I would use.

I made a hand sign and aimed at Ino. I saw her freeze in place. Then, after about ten seconds she screamed, "Sasuke-kun!" and fainted. It was the same jutsu that Kakashi-sensei had used on me during the bell test, only I had figured out that it was a genjutsu and was able to release it in time.

I had won the match. Naruto congratulated me with a big grin. "Good job, Sakura-chan. I knew you would win."

I smiled back. Yes, we all won our matches. It seems that Team 7 will be going to the final matches together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Trapped**

AN: Hey, everyone, for some reason, I have not been getting as many reviews for this story as my other stories. I really don't think that this story is that bad, but I went from getting more than 5 reviews a chapter, to one or two reviews per chapter. Anyways, in order to encourage more reviewers, I have now decided that I will not post the next chapter unless I get at least 5 reviews. Fair enough?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

--

I head towards the Yamanaka flower shop, hoping that Ino won't be there. Unfortunately, she was. I sighed, but walked inside anyways. I needed flowers, and therefore, as any other customer, I was gonna get them.

At first, she ignored me, giving me time to brows through the selections myself. I thought about which flower to get for Sasuke-kun. Certainly not a rose. No, that would just annoy him to not end.

My eyes landed on a few blue forget-me-nots. I smiled. Perfect. I gently grabbed a few and went up to the cash register. I was hoping that Ino would continue to ignore, just treat me like any other customer. However, my pleas were yet again ignored.

"Who are those for…Sasuke-kun?" She asked in a rude voice.

"Yes." I answered curtly.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you even bother," she began as she wrapped the flowers, "he's obviously not interested in you."

"Even so, he is my teammate. I should show that I care." I answered uncaringly.

Ino seemed a little mad at my response. "I know you think that being on the same team as Sasuke-kun means that he'll pay more attention to you. Well you're dead wrong, cause I'm gonna be the one who ends up with him."

I shot her a bitter smile. "No one's stopping you from being with him, Ino." I took out my wallet and retrieved a few coins. "If you want to ask him out, then go ahead. If he likes you, then I am very happy for you two." I placed the coins on the counter and picked up the flowers. "But remember this," I turned my back to her, "Whatever happens, happens because of your actions. If things don't work out," I began to walk out the store, "you can only blame yourself."

--

I set the flowers in a vase next to Sasuke-kun's bed. I looked at him with sad eyes. He looked so peaceful. I sat down in a chair next to him and watched his chest, rising and falling. I looked down at my feet. So this is all I'll ever be able to do for Sasuke-kun, watch him, never taking any action.

During the preliminaries, I automatically thought that I was a better kunoichi than Ino because of my abilities and my goals. However, now that I think about it, we were both the same. Although I was physically stronger than Ino, I never really used that strength. I was still constantly protected by my teammates, just like she is. As for our goals, they are the same as well. Ino's goal is to become Sasuke's girlfriends, no matter at what cost. My brain tells me that my goal is to become a successful, strong kunoichi. But my heart tells me that I want to be more than friends with Sasuke-kun as well.

I let out a deep sigh. I am willing to admit to myself that I want to have a relationship with Sasuke-kun, even though I know he's not interested. His main goal is to avenge his clan. The idea of him settling down is almost unthinkable.

After one last look at him, I stood up and exited the room. Sitting around thinking will get me nowhere. I need to start training for the final matches.

--

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